


Love, Exclamation Mark

by LoveandScience



Category: Deus Ex (Video Games), Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Deus Ex: Invisible War
Genre: Adam and Frank take care of a kid, Knights Templar, M/M, and it's really cute, they're good parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-07
Updated: 2014-03-07
Packaged: 2018-01-14 21:47:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 7,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1279987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoveandScience/pseuds/LoveandScience
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adam Jensen didn't want to be a parent, but this was temporary. He'd play along for a couple months, for Frank's sake.<br/>-<br/>-<br/>Sequel to Love, Question Mark</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This is a continuation of Love, Question Mark. If you haven't played the original Deus Ex and Deus Ex: Invisible War, this might be a real nail-biter for you. I've done my best to make this canon compliant, so if I got anything wrong/impossible, kindly inform me.  
> Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Deus Ex games. If I did, I wouldn't need to write fanfic.

He created her because he wanted to be perfect. Well, the official reason was to further the goals of the Illuminati (and later, Majestic 12), but really, he wanted perfection. He wanted to be a God, and to bestow his perfect vision on an imperfect world. She was practice for the new nanotechnology, as were the two units before her, and things were looking good. Maybe less good now that JC and Paul had deserted UNATCO and set out to put a stop to him, but that was nothing he couldn't handle.

Though, there were still a few kinks to work out before he used them, himself. After all, the perfect man needed the perfect augmentation if he wanted to create perfection. 

Bob Page smiled to himself. He would be this world's new God, and it was almost the epoch he'd worked toward for over two decades. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------- 

_Twenty-five years together. Holy shit,_ thought Frank Pritchard, jogging down Main Street in Old Chicago. He and Jensen had moved here when it looked like New York was getting dicey a few years ago, what with Page Industries and UNATCO gaining more control. Somewhere quiet, but where Adam could still keep an ear out for Sarif. 

Not that Sarif was a big player, anymore. Augmentation had ceased being trendy with the populace, and they mostly just designed for rich eccentrics looking to enhance themselves. But the CEO always hoped for a comeback, especially with the new nanotech Page had developed and released to the government. Unfortunately, regulations had soared on how much and how quickly they could install new tech in their clients, stifling business a significant amount. 

The raven-haired man rounded a corner on to Orange, slowing when he noticed a small body slumped against the library wall. 

“Hey, kid, you alright?” 

The child looked up at the older man from under a mess of black hair. “I'm waiting for my mom.” 

Pritchard noted the girl's dirty clothing and fetid odor. “Get up, and I'll help you look for her.” 

“I'm not supposed to go with strangers,” she replied, but stood up anyway. 

“What's your name?” the writer asked, leading her into the building. 

The girl was quiet for a moment. “Alex. I'm five.” 

The ex-hacker smiled. “Well, Alex who is five, if you don't see your mother in here, I'll take you up to the local police station and see if they can't find her.” 

When they finished their tour of the building with no luck, the child took Pritchard's hand and looked at him, searchingly. Frank forced himself not to pull away at the feel of blood caking her fingers. Was that what the stains on her shirt were, too? “Some mean man took my mommy, and he told me she'd be right back, only, it's been a whole day, and she was crying when he took her.” 

A sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach, the ex-hacker tried to remain calm. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------- 

“Pritchard, our anniversary was a week ago. You didn't need to get me another child sacrifice.” 

Frank glowered at the younger man. “Shut up, you'll scare her, you...” he glanced at the girl before looking back to the cyborg, “...butthole.” Ruffling the messy girl's head, he reassured her. “He's joking, and he's _not funny_.” 

Adam cringed at the wrath of his husband. “Right, right, sorry.” The ex-cop looked at the child. “Sorry. Um, hi, I'm Adam. And I only look scary and make bad jokes.” Shy and quiet, she moved to hide behind Pritchard anyway. 

“This is Alex. Alex, can I ask you to stay in the other room for a minute? I need to talk with Adam. Just go on down the hall and look around, okay?” She nodded and sped off down the corridor. “Look, I think this girl's parents were murdered. We dropped by the police station and they hadn't heard of anybody looking for her, but they're running a search for them. But she told me some man dragged her mom off and it doesn't sound good. Rather than stick her in some sort of government agency, I thought it'd be best to let her stay here.” 

The cyborg crossed his arms. “We've talked about kids before, Frank.” 

“I know. But you can't expect me to just leave her on her own. I'll assume full responsibility.” 

“I couldn't even keep my dog alive. They euthanized him when I nearly died.” 

Pritchard sighed. Some wounds didn't simply heal with time. He leaned in with a warm hug, kissing his husband softly. “I know.” 

“Of course she can stay, just don't expect me to turn into some sort of super-parent,” Adam smiled. “Though, I have to say, I enjoy watching you in protective daddy mode.” 

Frank swatted him playfully on the chin, rolling his eyes before walking off to find Alex.


	2. Chapter 2

“Alright, Alex, can you go brush your teeth?”

The freshly-bathed child stared at Pritchard with a smirk. “I caaa-aaan,” she answered in a sing-song voice. 

He narrowed his eyes playfully. “You can, but will you? Or will I need to get the tickle monster out?” Raising his hands, he stepped towards her and wiggled his fingers. 

“NOOOOO!” she screamed, laughing and zipping off in a blur. 

Frank smiled to himself. She'd been there about a month, and she seemed to be holding up pretty well, but she was taking on some of his snark. Really, the only hard part had been seeing her wake up screaming night after night. He knew she missed her parents, but she was trying to hide it and wouldn't talk about them. The police had found no leads on where they might be, and Adam was getting antsy about how this might become a permanent arrangement. The cyborg had kept his distance from Alex, convinced that he'd somehow damage her. 

Frank could tell, however, that the ex-cop cared. He could see it in the way he'd half-smile when she said something clever, or the way he every so often quietly observed her and handed her a crayon or a glass of water before she had to ask for it. 

He turned around as he felt two metallic arms slide around his waist. The two kissed briefly as a way of greeting. “It almost bedtime? For us, I mean?” Jensen's voice still rough and deep, Frank had come to find it remarkably sensual. 

“Yes, in about an hour.” Adam had aged well, and not just because there wasn't much natural body left to age; the lines on his face suited him, making him appear that much more fierce. He didn't blame Alex for being frightened. At least the cyborg had gotten over his body image issues and kept his shades retracted most of the time, so he looked a little less menacing for that. 

“'Net's down again, by the way.” 

It was then that the ex-hacker noticed a little face peering around the corner. “I'll see you in a bit. It's time for her bedtime stories,” Frank explained as he pulled from the embrace. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------- 

“But can't you just read one more? I hate sleeping,” Alex pouted, giving the writer her best puppy-dog eyes. 

It broke his heart, really, because she had every reason to avoid sleep. “No, you really have to get some rest. I've been reading for over an hour.” 

Glaring at the ceiling, the girl harrumphed. 

“Alex, tomorrow I'm going to take you to meet someone special. She's a very nice woman who wants to help you and talk about what's been going on every night.” 

Panic flashed across her face. “NOOOOooooooOOOOoooo! I don't want to talk to some weird woman about it!” 

Putting an arm around her in an awkward side-hug, he tried to calm her down. “She's going to help make the nightmares stop.” 

She pulled out of his grip. “Go away.” 

Frank nodded quietly, and left her without another word. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Alex refused his comfort for the bad dreams that night, and still wasn't talking at breakfast. She ate quickly, determined to go back to her room and get away from him. Pritchard didn't push her, accepting that she needed her space, and headed to his office to work on his most recent television script. 

Shrugging at the silence, Adam took his time with breakfast, catching up on the news via internet augmentation. Forty minutes or so passed before Alex sat down at the table with her coloring book. 

“You look like a monster,” she stated, matter-of-factly. “The man who took my mother was yelling that metal heads were unnatural. He probably wouldn't have liked your metal arms, either.” 

It took a moment for the cyborg to process that the man had probably meant 'metal-heads,' as an insult to augmentation in general. “You're probably right,” he agreed. 

“Are you all metal?” 

“No.” 

“Why don't you have normal arms?” 

Consciously avoided memories bubbled inside Adam's skull, floating to the surface. He hid a frown. “A long time ago, someone hurt me very badly. When the doctors patched me up, they gave me new arms, legs, and eyes.” 

“Why did someone hurt you?” 

“Some people just hurt other people. It's not really fair.” 

Alex nodded sagely. “My mom, she used to say that life wasn't fair.” After a few minutes of silence, she looked back up from her picture. “Do you have nightmares?” 

“Why do you ask that?” he replied, perplexed at the route the conversation had taken. 

She looked sheepish. “One night I was going to get Frank, because I hadn't screamed and so he wasn't there and I was just scared, so then I came looking for him but then I heard you yell, and I went back to bed.” 

He remembered that night. He'd been bothered at how this whole situation made him think about Kubrick, and consequently, Megan and all he'd endured twenty-five years ago. “Sometimes, but not nearly as much as I used to.” 

“Do you think mine will go away except for sometimes, too?” 

“Yes.”


	3. Chapter 3

“Why do you think you're here, Alex?”

Said girl stared defiantly at the ceiling. 

“I think you'll eventually need to talk with somebody. You're here because people are worried about you. You can't go on having nightmares every night, now, can you?” 

Silence. 

“Do you want to color?” 

She shook her head and looked at the floor, swinging her feet in boredom. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Frank flipped through a book on his tablet, hoping the session in the other room was going well. The waiting room was stifling, and he sincerely hoped that wasn't foretelling of the therapist's nature. His infolink crackled, signaling an incoming connection, and he smiled. It was Adam. 

“I'm just calling to say I'm sorry,” he began, cutting right to the point, as was his usual manner. 

“For what?” 

Pritchard heard the cyborg take a steadying breath. “Watching you these last few weeks, it's clear that you wanted children more than I ever thought. I'm sorry I didn't realize just how much it meant to you. You're really good at it, and if I'd have known... I'd have gotten over my crap and-” 

“Jensen,” the ex-hacker interrupted, “Adam, it's okay. I never pushed the subject, because I've been happy with just the two of us. Adopting a child would have required both of us to really want it, and you can't force somebody to want that. I don't resent anything, if that's what you're worried about.” 

Adam radiated relief, even unseen, and sighed. “You know the reason we've been able to make this work for so long?” 

“My pretty face?” 

“I'm serious, Francis,” the ex-security chief chided. “It's because when something comes up, we don't start bullshitting and acting weird. We fucking talk about it. So, I'm going to tell you this: I've gotten attached. I'm not happy about it, but there you have it.” 

The smaller man smiled. “If I'd have known just bringing a kid home would work, I'd have done it ages ago.” 

“Yeah, and I'd have clocked you one for being an asshole. Listen to me. Since I'm invested in this now, I'm going to tell you that if she's resistant to therapy, it's not going to work. But she talked to me after breakfast this morning when you were in the other room, and I think I can help.” 

“You're not a therapist, Adam. You don't know how to play that role. I'm glad she talked to you, but you're not experienced in this kind of thing.” 

“Not experienced? Pritchard, are you forgetting all that shit I went through? And I dealt with it.” 

A moment of silence passed, and both realized the other wouldn't be changing their position on the matter. 

“Alright, Frank,” the ex-SWAT said softly. “I've said my bit. I'll see you when you get home.” 

“Adam,” the older man answered, his tone just as gentle, “thanks for caring.” 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Pouting, Alex got in the car. “I hate her,” she declared, arms crossed. 

“I'm sorry you hate her, but she's really a nice lady,” Pritchard replied, looping her arms through the carseat straps. “Unless she tried to hurt you. Did she?” 

“No,” the girl conceded, letting herself be buckled in, “but I still hate her.” 

“Can you at least give her another chance?” 

She sighed. “I guess so.” 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

The five-year-old woke with a start. She guessed she hadn't screamed again, because she waited a few minutes and Frank didn't come running in. 

Wiping some tears with her shirt-sleeve, she grabbed her blanket and headed across the house. She had reached the kitchen before she heard a rough voice. “Alex?” 

The girl jumped and turned toward the kitchen table. 

“It's okay, it's just me,” Adam reassured, “I'm sorry I scared you. Are you okay?” 

She shook her head, heart still racing, and started crying softly. “Where is my mom? Why did she leave me?” 

“Come here,” he said, and lifted her on his lap when she did. “There are some really mean people in the world, and they have so much hate and pain inside them that they go out and hurt others. Most of them were hurt, themselves, and they never learned how to cope. We don't know where your mom is, but the police said they're looking. I'm going to be honest, Alex. We might not ever find out, and I'm sorry. It's not right. You should have answers. But your mom didn't want to leave you; she was forced by those people.” 

“My dad,” she murmured through tears, “they hurt him and there was blood on him. And my mom took me and ran. But they got us anyway.” 

“I'm sorry, Alex.” When she didn't seem to be interested in saying more, he lifted her up and set her in the chair next to him. “How about I make you some hot chocolate with marshmallows, and then you can get some more sleep?” She nodded quietly, and he crossed over to the kitchen.


	4. Chapter 4

“The move from Area 51 to Chicago was a success, but the Templar killed the parents.” the first voice said.

The second voice responded, worried, “What are we going to do?” 

“Funny thing: she's living under the same roof as Adam Jensen.” 

“Oh,” came the unsure second voice. 

“And he'll make her strong. Alex Denton will have a very good life until we need her.” 

\------------------------------------------------------------- 

The second therapy session went just about the same as the first, and Frank begrudgingly admitted that Adam had been right. She simply wouldn't get anything out of seeing a psychologist if she didn't want to, so he resolved to let her know the option was on the table, and not force her again. Besides, she seemed to be bonding with Adam these days. After a few times of meeting each other in the kitchen in the middle of the night, the ex-SWAT had taken to waiting up for her and making 3 a.m. hot chocolate a ritual. She'd give him bits and pieces, according to Adam, but he was reluctant to tell Frank in case that betrayed the girl's trust. The writer was fine with that, as long as she was benefiting, though he admittedly felt maybe just slightly jealous that Alex was more comfortable with the person who hadn't originally wanted her around, rather than the one who'd brought her home in the first place. 

He'd been scouting the city for the best kindergarten for the start of the next school-year, and he thought he'd found one. Pritchard wasn't sure how she'd take the news. 

Alex had been wary of all new situations so far, which made sense after whatever trauma she'd been through. She'd lasted all of five minutes at the zoo before asking to leave, and spent the rest of the day coloring in her room.


	5. Chapter 5

Alex grinned from her hiding spot as Frank walked past. She was an expert hider, she knew, and he'd never find her. He'd passed by at least three times, and hadn't even checked in the cupboard.

“Now where could that girl be? I've looked everywhere!” he asked to the room at large, a smirk adorning his face. 

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she leapt out from under the kitchen sink and grabbed his leg. “Gotcha!” 

The ex-hacker played surprised, then laughed. “You did. You're too good at this game!” 

“I know,” she giggled, standing up. “Let's see if you can find me now!” She ran into the other room. 

Frank followed her, but she was gone when he turned the corner. “Alex?” He peeked into her open closet. 

“Found me!” she laughed. 

Blinking, the writer stared after her as she skipped away. She hadn't been in the closet, until she suddenly had. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------- 

“I hate to say it, but maybe your eyesight's going? How could she possibly have appeared out of thin air?” Adam stretched on the bed, folding his hands under his head. “It's not like she's loaded up with augs.” 

Huffing in frustration, Pritchard tried to explain himself. “She literally materialized in front of me. I'm not crazy, Jensen.” 

“Hey, hey,” the cyborg pulled him into a hug, noticing how his own disbelief was making the smaller man angry. “If you say it happened, then it happened. I didn't mean to be such an ass about it. So, what do we do?” 

His tenseness relenting, Frank relaxed into the embrace. “There's nothing we really can do, is there?” 

“I can set her up with one of Sarif's doctors. Get her checked out.” The ex-cop's eyes glowed yellow as he dialed the number for Sarif Industries. After a moment, he looked over to his partner. “Hey, I can't access the internet. Can you?” 

The older man leaned over to his nightstand and pulled out his tablet. “No,” he answered after a minute. “It's not working for me, either.” 

\------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Impatiently, Adam paced around the hotel lobby. It was fifteen minutes past the meeting time. Did no one value punctuality anymore besides him? He stopped himself before thinking a “back in my day” sentence, wondering when he'd turned into an old man. 

Sarif had hinted that Adam may want a contact from Page Industries, but had promised not to push it on the ex-cop if he felt too sanctimonious. Adam hadn't. When it came to Page Industries, there wasn't much he found immoral to do against them. They'd done enough to him, he reasoned, that digging through their inside information, especially if he ever found out what they were doing with his DNA, was satisfying. 

So he'd gone along with the request, much to his boss' delight. Unfortunately, the info he got was nothing hugely secret, but it still helped Sarif and was worth getting. 

An hour later, his contact still hadn't shown, and he noticed that the tv at the bar wasn't working.


	6. Chapter 6

Over the next few weeks, the streets filled with exponentially increasing screams and gunfire. Three houses around the city burned down-- one on their own block. It seemed as soon as one or two people had gone crazy, losing their jobs from what flyers called “The Collapse,” others began to take that as permission to break down as well.

Going outside became unsafe, although Alex didn't seem to mind getting out of Frank's socialization efforts. Around the first week or so of violence, Adam had trekked out to buy food and entertainment, hoping it would last through the chaos, but sustenance was getting low again. 

“It's not safe, Adam,” Pritchard found himself pleading with his husband. “Don't you remember promising to avoid danger for as long as we're together?” 

The cyborg rubbed his thumb back and forth along the top of Pritchard's hand. “I know. Will you make an exception? I'm best-equipped to defend myself out there, and we really need food.” 

“Come back to me safely,” the writer answered, squeezing the younger man's hand. Really, Frank knew they had it much easier than most. He and Adam were old, close to retirement-- well, now it looked like that'd happen much sooner than expected-- and they'd saved up enough to get by for a long while. Now with Alex, that was especially important. 

The girl poked her head around their bedroom door. “Are you leaving?” 

The ex-SWAT gave her a smile. “Just for an hour or two. I'm getting us enough food for a month. Any requests?” 

She looked thoughtful, and Frank noted that it looked all too much like Adam's contemplative face. “Cheesy bread. It's in the red box. The one in the white box is gross, don't get that! And can you get me colored pencils? Crayons are for babies.” 

Jensen grinned harder to keep himself from laughing. “Cheesy bread in the red box and colored pencils. Got it.” He let go of his husband's hand and stood up from the bed. “I'll be home soon.” Frank found himself being kissed while the five-year-old made gagging noises. 

Before he made it out the front door, he felt someone tug at his arm. Alex looked up at him, her expression bashful and concerned. “You're not gonna die, right? Frank didn't say so, but I can tell he thinks you will.” 

Adam ruffled her hair. “Nah, I'm not gonna die. See these arms?” She nodded, and he lifted one up and away from her. “Watch this,” the cyborg instructed, and a blade slid out with a quick metallic noise. He retracted the weapon, then pointed to his chest. “There's a bullet-proof vest under there. And,” he motioned to his head, “I got enough plating in there that I could probably survive a shot to the head. My legs are augmented, too, and now watch this.” The ex-cop went invisible for a few moments, then reappeared. “See? My hunk of junk body comes in useful for stuff like this.” 

The girl looked impressed. “Wow! So I really don't have to worry?” 

“Nuh uh.” 

“Then go get me some colored pencils. I need to draw something.” 

Adam walked out the door laughing. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Jensen's smile was short-lived when he walked into the chaos that had taken over his city. This had been his home for long enough that it felt personal. Cop cars patrolled the area, and people walked with their heads down, desperate not to attract attention. 

Pulling on his gloves and tugging down the sleeves of his old trenchcoat, the cyborg hid what he was, sliding down his shades and following the example of his neighbors.


	7. Chapter 7

Bleary-eyed, Alex made her way to the kitchen, heart pounding from a nightmare. “Adam?” she called, quietly.

The cyborg flipped on the kitchen light and started the microwave. They waited quietly while the milk warmed, side by side against the counter. When he'd stirred the chocolate powder in, they sat. 

“Why did you and Frank let me live with you?” 

Adam finished the sip and set his mug down. “Frank likes to help people when he can, and I'm just lucky to be along for the ride.” 

She looked up at him. “But you didn't think you'd be any good at it? Taking care of a kid?” 

The ex-cop shrugged. “I'm not, but I try to be.” 

A while passed, and the five-year-old drained the dregs of her hot chocolate. “You are, though. You're nice and you don't treat me like a baby. Like, today, you weren't worried I'd be 'too scared' if I saw your arm swords or your invisible power.” 

The ex-SWAT wondered, now, if he should have been, until the girl spoke again. 

“My dream was bad but you were fighting off the bad guys. I want to be augmented like you so I can beat up anyone who tries to hurt people.” 

Adam gave her a serious look-- one she hadn't seen before. “I gave up that kind of lifestyle a long time ago, Alex. I like to think I did some good, but I couldn't have been with Frank if I'd kept on getting into dangerous situations. It made him sad when I wasn't safe. There's nothing wrong with learning to defend yourself, though. And nowadays they have better augs than the ones I have, so you won't look like an old clunker,” he grinned. 

Looking down with a small smile, the girl vanished. 

“Alex?” Adam stood, suddenly frantic. 

She reappeared, staring up at him in confusion. 

“You just... do you know you turned invisible?” 

“I did? Cool!” 

He blinked a few times. “Okay. Uh, yeah, okay. I think either your parents or someone else augmented you. I'm gonna need to talk to Frank, but I think you should be aware of how to do that voluntarily instead of just by accident. Why don't you get to bed? We'll figure this out tomorrow.” 

Alex nodded excitedly and bounded off toward her room. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

“Shit, Frank, I'm sorry I gave you a hard time. She's definitely got some kind of aug.” 

The ex-hacker would have had a smug smile twenty years ago, but time had pumiced his callous nature. “I just hope she doesn't have some of the more dangerous augments. She could get hurt.” 

Adam rubbed his husband's back, easing out some of the tension there. “We'll test her for them. At least she's got an expert to help her figure it out.” 

“One of your scientist contacts?” Pritchard grinned. 

The cyborg shoved him playfully. “Me, you sarcastic ass.” 

“Ah, yes, Jensen, you're such an expert. That's why you only noticed this weeks after I mentioned it.” 

Adam grabbed the writer, gently pushing him on to their bed. The ex-cop put his arms on either side of him, staring animalistically. “Alright, _Francis_. Let's see exactly how good I am.”


	8. Chapter 8

Alex looked curiously at the device Adam pressed to her shoulder. “It looks like a stetha- a stepascope. Like you're a doctor.”

“A stethoscope? Yeah, I guess it does kinda look like one. Except it tells me about augments instead of heartbeats.” He moved the device to the girl's forehead. “Old people augments look like what I have. The newer stuff you can't tell just by looking at a person.” 

“Are you gonna get the new stuff?” she asked as he moved the blinking instrument to her calf. 

The cyborg smiled at the blunt nature ingrained in kids. “I wish I could get rid of the old crap and be a regular person.” 

Frank shot him a look. “Language, Jensen.” 

The ex-cop rolled his eyes and stood, having completed the exam. “Crap's not a bad word, Francis. Lighten up.” 

Before the older man could argue, Alex interrupted. “So, am I gonna have to stand here all day before you tell me?” 

“Sorry, kid, didn't mean to keep you waiting five seconds,” the cyborg snarked. “It looks like you've got nano-tech in you. You don't have the biomods, though, that would give you any special powers. You shouldn't be turning invisible, so either the nanites aren't working right, or they're hidden from any technology I can easily get my hands on.” 

“In that case,” Frank chimed in, “we should probably teach her how to control them, just in case she does have the abilities.” 

\-------------------------------------------------------------- 

Above all, Alex remembered the cold. She saw her father bleeding, saw the blade pulled from his chest, saw him stagger backward until he hit the wall and slid down. The air drifted in from the broken window, and goosebumps traveled up her arms. Her mother's screams were muted, but Alex wasn't sure why, and she found herself being hauled out the window. They made it downtown before her mother tucked her under the flight of stairs leading to the library and whispered. It was weird, now that she thought about it, how some of her attackers were clearly augmented similarly to Adam, and yet they yelled about the evils of “metal-heads” and “hanzers.” As far as Alex knew, her parents weren't modified, and it finally made a sort of sense that they'd probably been talking about her. She'd hidden until morning, understanding now why they'd looked right at her and not done a thing. But more than anything, she remembered the freezing cold as she sat there, watching the sun appear until she felt safe enough to reveal herself to the kind-looking man out for an early morning jog.


	9. Chapter 9

It was about three in the afternoon when a helicopter landed on their street and David Sarif stepped out with a wave and smile to bid his pilot goodbye. Adam rolled his eyes when he saw his boss. Leave it to Sarif to make an entrance.

“Hello, Son,” he greeted, pulling the ex-SWAT into a hug. 

The younger man laughed. “Come on in, Boss. It's good to see you.” 

“Great to see you, too, Adam,” he replied as they made their way through the door. The cyborg bolted it behind them and motioned the CEO to sit. 

“Can I get you anything? Food? Drink?” 

“If you have black tea, that'd be great, thank you,” he smiled, leaning back in the reclining chair and putting his feet up on the little stool in front of it. 

As his employee left to make the cuppa, a curious little head poked out from the hallway. 

Noticing her, David waved. “Hey there,” he beamed. 

The five-year-old walked over to him with a studious expression. 

“What's your name, honey?” 

“Alex,” she said, staring at his metal arm. “Yours has pretty designs on it, not like Adam's.” 

The CEO laughed. “Why, thank you, Alex. You certainly look a lot like him. At least, how he looked before his accident. Are you his long lost daughter?” 

“Maybe,” she smiled cryptically, ducking behind the chair as the aforementioned man returned. 

“I can see you there, Alex,” he said, handing his boss a steaming mug. 

She stuck her tongue out at him. 

“She's adorable, Adam. Your spitting image.” 

“You think so?” 

“I do.” 

“We're not related. We're kind of her foster parents, but we wouldn't expect to take the place of her bio parents.” 

Sarif relaxed back into his chair. “I'm proud of you, Son. And you know I appreciate everything you've done for me, not to mention the company.” Before the ex-cop could reply, the older man continued, “Unfortunately, Sarif Industries is shutting down.” 

Adam nodded. “I figured, with all that's happened. Well... thanks for a hell of a job, Boss.” 

“It's just David, now. And sit down! I want to hear all about your new life as a parent.” 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Learning control of the stealth aug was easy enough-- Frank just asked if she remembered how she felt before going invisible. She'd simply wanted to disappear really badly, and it wasn't hard to play pretend and make that happen voluntarily. 

The other abilities they weren't even sure if she had or not, so that part was somewhat tricky. 

“If something does happen, I want you to try and remember exactly what you thought and felt beforehand,” Adam instructed. “And as a precaution, any superpowers you want to pretend you have-- try them out in the garage, first, and make sure you don't actually have them.” 

Alex nodded, looking morose, and excused herself to her room. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

“Alex?” Frank knocked on her open door when she hadn't come out for an hour. The five-year-old looked up at him, questioningly. “You looked a little sad, earlier, and I wanted to give you space, but I also want to make sure you're okay.” 

She shrugged. 

“You can tell me, I won't be mad. Or I can get Adam, if you prefer.” 

She shook her head vigorously. “No, I don't want to talk to Adam.” 

The writer sat down next to her where she was playing with a pile of action figures, setting them up in battle formation. “Are you mad at him?” 

Alex shook her head 'no' again. “I don't want to have to go to the garage to play pretend. I just want to be a regular kid. And I don't want him to say he's my parent. He's not.” 

Pritchard extended his arms for a hug, giving her a chance to reject it, and pulled her into an embrace when she didn't. “I'll talk with him about calling himself your parent. I wasn't aware that happened, but I'm sure he'll agree not to do it again. Do you understand why we want you to test any pretend powers in the garage, though?” She stayed silent, so he answered for her. “We want to make sure everybody stays safe. If some weapon comes out of your arm or you jump really high, or anything else like that, the garage doesn't have much that could harm you. There aren't mirrors or glass that could break and cut you or another person when all the pieces go flying. There isn't a fan or things hanging from the ceiling you could hit your head on. There won't be anyone accidentally in your path.” 

“I know...” she whispered, holding back tears. 

“I know you want to be a regular kid, and I wish you could be. But we can't pretend that bad things aren't real, because then more bad things will just happen. We have to learn to be happy while dealing with it. That's the only way it really works.” 

Alex hugged him tighter.


	10. Chapter 10

Most of the Purity First organization became absorbed by the Knight's Templar, along with the few augmented who had grown to despise such enhancements. When the Illuminati fell to Majestic 12 and Bob Page, only a few stragglers survived the assault by Manderley and his forces. They were leaderless and fought amongst themselves about what to do, but eventually were sought out for a mercenary job. The girl had escaped, but their employer had seemed oddly happy about that. Thus, they were torn as to whether they should finish the job, now that they again knew where she lived, or let it go—there were no more orders from the mysterious figure that had called on them months ago. Some wanted to start a new life, taking the economic recession as an opportunity to excel in their once outdated fields that may have become relevant again thanks to The Collapse.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

“Can we just go out for a little bit? Please? It's been two months,” the black-haired girl complained. 

Frank sighed. On one hand, it was the first time she'd showed much interest in getting out: that meant she was feeling more secure. On the other, it still wasn't exactly safe. Things had calmed down a little, at least in their area, but the ex-hacker had seen signs that gangs were forming in some areas of the city. Maybe a few minutes on their street would be okay, though? Truth be told, he was getting cabin fever, himself. “Just for a little bit, and not far, okay?” 

She brightened immediately. “Thank you thankyouthankyouthankyou!” Alex hugged Frank, then ran down the hall to her room to get her shoes and socks. 

Adam looked over to his husband from the couch. He trusted Frank's judgement, but he'd still tail them and make sure nothing happened, for his own peace of mind. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

The ex-cop stood across the street from them, lurking in the shadows as he watched the two play at the park. 

“Hey, hanzer,” someone growled as they walked toward him, their armor dull with use, “that your family? I'm going to kill them.” 

Adam didn't wait for the Paladin to make the first move, leaping on him with protective ferocity. His punches did little but make dents, and the attacker threw him off, laughing. “You're going to have to try better than that.” 

The cyborg pushed himself up again, his blades sliding out with the quickness of experience as he jumped, landing on the Templar and swinging his arms down, intending to kill. The Paladin rolled, only receiving a minor injury to his side, and before Adam could strike again, his head was grabbed from behind. 

He screamed as two metal hands prepared to snap his neck. 

From the corner of his eye, he saw Frank running toward him, but no Alex. His last thought was that she must have gone invisible, and for that, he was grateful.


	11. Chapter 11

Frank didn't reach him in time, but someone else did.

A figure in a black trench coat knocked the enemy cyborg off, and he shoved Adam to the ground before whipping out a large gun and shooting the Paladin. He turned swiftly to the second attacker, firing at him with something else. 

It was anti-climactically silent as the man in the trench coat stared between Adam and Frank for several moments. 

“Uh, thanks,” the ex-SWAT said, leaning back on his hands as he sat up from the sidewalk. 

The man held out his hand, helping the cyborg up. “If you want to thank me, enroll your daughter at Tarsus Middle School,” he said, simply. 

“What's that?” Frank asked, speaking for the first time. “Who are you?” 

“You can call me 'Paul,' and I'm a friend. Tarsus Middle is part of a program I'm working on setting up where kids'll be trained to use their nanite biomods. We give them the infrastructure and the infusions to use, once they've completed the program. That'd be maybe when they're 25, 26.” 

Frank scowled. “It sounds like you're training soldiers or mercenaries.” 

“They'll be free to accept or reject whatever missions they want. They're free to leave at any time. Maybe we're making fighters, but in such violent times, that's how they're going to survive.” 

Adam raised an eyebrow. “What do you get out of all this? It sounds expensive.” 

Paul smiled. “Research, Mr. Jensen. Technological development. A safer world. And tuition would be affordable.” 

“You know me?” the ex-cop asked, increasingly suspicious. 

“Everyone in the field of augmentation knows you, Mr. Jensen. You're the one who made it possible.” 

Adam didn't know how to reply to that, and was thankful when Frank cut in. “Thank you for saving our lives, and we'll look into Tarsus when she's older. We won't make any promises, but if it's the right thing for her and what she wants, we'll try it out.” 

With a nod, Paul turned to leave. “That's all I ask,” he called over his shoulder, walking away. 

The two men looked down when they felt a tug on one of each of their hands, and saw Alex appear, glancing between them. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

“I almost lost you,” the writer murmured into the crook of his husband's neck that night, laying half on top of him in their bed. “I'm too old for this.” 

Trailing his hand rhythmically across Pritchard's back, the ex-SWAT sighed softly. “I'm sorry,” his voice came out quietly. 

The ex-hacker lifted his head to look down at the other man. “Why are you apologizing? You did nothing wrong.” 

The cyborg turned away. “I was useless. Worse than useless. You were rushing over to save my ass, and you would've been slaughtered, Frank. Alex would have lost another set of parents-- yes, I know, she doesn't want to call us that, but it's what we've basically been to her-- and then who knows where she'd have ended up.” 

Frank frowned, tilting his husband's head back to face him. “Adam,” he said, both firm and gentle, “even if that had happened, it would not have been your fault. Without you there, they'd have snuck up on us and killed us before we had a chance to escape. You cannot shoulder the actions of evil men.” 

“I know,” the ex-cop replied, his lips turning up just slightly. “I guess I just needed the reminder.” 

Their kiss was long, full of reassurances, and they didn't part until the urgency gave way to relaxation. 

“It's strange,” the writer mused, “but seeing that guy, Paul... it was like looking at you from when we first met.” 

“Yeah, apparently everyone looks like me, now,” the cyborg grinned. “Sarif was certain Alex and I were related.”


	12. Chapter 12

Tarsus Middle was small, but there were lots of kids and parents crowded into the main lobby. A little overwhelmed, thirteen-year-old Alex reached behind her and gripped her foster dad's hand. Frank squeezed her palm once in reassurance, and she glanced back with a small smile.

“Remember,” he said, gently, “you're allowed to quit anytime you want to. Otherwise, Tarsus told us to take a hands-off approach, so you'll be on your own for the training.” 

She nodded. “I know. I'm going to become stronger, though. I just hope people like me,” the young girl confided. 

Adam set a hand on her shoulder, and she turned to him. “You're likable, Alex, I know you'll find some friends.” 

Frank let go of her hand to give her a hug. “Have a great first day, and we'll see you in the afternoon.” She blushed at the fuss her parents made, but allowed her other foster dad a tight hug as well. 

When the adults had gone, kids started forming into groups, getting to know each other. Not being used to social situations, Alex hung back, trying to ascertain what to do. She was about to inject herself into a pack at random, when she heard someone being an asshole. 

“Ew, what are those?” 

“Are you a bull or something?” 

Walking over purposefully, she noticed the girl being taunted had a nose piercing. 

“You wanna see just how much of a bull I can be?” the girl with the nasal ring shot back, and suddenly headbutted the bully. 

The girl screeched as she fell to the floor, and her friend helped her up, both hurrying away with backwards glares. 

Laughing, the “victim” shouted after them. “Assholes!” She turned to Alex, who smiled in amusement. 

“I like your nose ring. And your neon blue hair. My name's Alex, what's yours?” she extended a hand. 

The blue-haired girl gave her a five and grinned. “Name's Billie.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks for reading my story! I just think Frank and Adam would've been cute parents together, especially softened up by old age, and I wanted to write on what could have happened for them (and Alex) between games. I kind of imagine Billie all punk and badass. It is kind of sad though, that Alex's foster parents were killed in the attack on Chicago at the beginning of Invisible War, but maybe they miraculously survived or something and she just didn't know. How about we just imagine that? And then everyone gets the distributed nanite infusions at the end of IW, so everyone lives forever and ever and humans know peace. They colonize space and stretch across the universe, explorers, friends with everybody and full of happiness. The End.


End file.
